Try as you might, it’s not always easy to control cravings and your appetite. Whether you need some refreshing tips or a simple reminder, we’ve found 8 helpful and scientifically proven ways to help you keep your appetite and waistline under control!
Drink Coffee
Here’s one more reason to reach for that cup of coffee: it may help decrease your appetite! Research has shown that coffee helps reduce appetite and may help keep your weight under control! If you’re not a fan of caffeine, you’ll be happy to know that decaffeinated coffee appears to have the highest success rate in reducing hunger.
Prioritize Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is an important component to managing your weight and keeping hunger in check. Studies have shown that not getting enough rest can spike your appetite by 24% and contribute to decreased feelings of satisfaction and fullness by 26%! Studies have also shown that individuals who get less sleep are at risk of gaining weight and giving in to unhealthy cravings.
Enjoy Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is filled with nutritional benefits, and now it’s been linked to decreasing appetite! The bitter taste of dark chocolate is believed to lessen your appetite and diminish your cravings for sweets!
Reduce Stress
Stress tends to raise cortisol levels and raise your appetite. Excess stress also tends to raise levels of peptide hormones that are responsible for feeling full. Recent studies have shown that individuals who were faced with a stressful task ate 22% more calories than usual. Managing your stress will not only help control your hunger, it may also help with anxiety and depression!
Add Ginger to Your Diet
Ginger is a popular spice with a number of health benefits! Along with aiding digestion, easing nausea and soothing muscle pain and regulating blood sugar levels. Ginger is also a wonderful appetite suppressant! Research has shown that diluting ginger powder in hot water (taken at breakfast) can greatly reduce hunger!
Eat on Smaller Plates
Trick your brain and eat less by dining on smaller plates. Using smaller plates may unconsciously signal feelings of fullness and satisfaction. Studies have shown that this little trick can even fool nutrition experts into thinking that they’re eating a larger portion than they’ve actually been served!
Choose Solids Instead of Liquids
If you want to reduce your appetite, ditch the liquid calories! It’s common for people to choose liquids like tea or water when they’re trying to curb their appetite- however that may not be the best option. Chewing a solid snack helps ward off hunger because the time spent chewing allows your body to process the feeling of fullness. Many scientists also believe that chewing allows the food to stay on the tastebuds longer, which also helps the feeling of satisfaction.
Exercise
Moving your body and getting exercise has been linked to lowering hunger hormone levels, controlling cravings and promoting the feeling of fullness! Both resistance and aerobic exercise are linked to reducing hormone levels and the size of meals eaten after exercise.
